The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
Bulawayo City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) 3
Yadah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0) 3
VETERAN striker, Ralph Matema inspired visiting Yadah to a stunning comeback as he provided two assists and scored the third to share the spoils with Bulawayo City in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League tie played at Luveve Stadium yesterday.
City got their goals from Innocent Kutsanzira, Toto Banda and Ishmael Wadi while the visitors replied through substitute Johannes Sibanda, Matema and Morris Musiyakuvi.
City were 3-0 up 59 minutes into the match and it looked like they had wrapped up their second set of three points since the coming in of Amini Soma-Phiri as head coach but fatigue set in and Yadah took advantage to go back to Harare with a point.
Bulawayo City took command of the first half scoring as early as the eighth minute to unsettle the visitors through a tap in from Kutsanzira and Banda added the second in the 26th minute to give the home side a commanding lead.
Both sides came from the break showing signs of hunger to score as action swung from one end to the other but it was Kutsanzira who set up Wadi to score the third goal that seemed to seal the match for City in the 59th minute.
Yadah, however, had other ideas as they kept on pushing sensing that fatigue had crept into City and Matema showed experience when he passed the ball to an unmarked Sibanda inside the box to begin his side’s comeback in the 65th minute.
Matema’s years of experience on the pitch also came to the fore in the 73rd minute when he scored a spectacular overhead kick to beat Takudzwa Ndoro, who was in between the posts for City.
Sensing they could get more than two goals, Yadah piled on the pressure and were rewarded four minutes later when Matema found an unmarked Musiyakuvi who gladly slid the ball into the nets and seal a point for the Walter Magaya-owned side.
Matema, who was ditched by Highlanders at the beginning of the season, was ecstatic with the win saying at half time they encouraged each other to go back and up their game and hope for the best.
Yadah coach, Thomas Ruzive praised Matema for his inspiring performance saying it showed he is a quality player who can make a huge difference.
City’s coach Soma-Phiri blamed poor fitness levels on the part of his charges saying it was something they need to improve on.
He, however, expressed satisfaction with the way his charges played saying scoring three goals was a sign that the work they are doing at training was bearing fruit.
“Scoring was our problem and that was the workout at training so I am happy with the fact that we scored but I guess we now have to make sure we work on the fitness and ensure we do not concede after scoring.
“I inherited a team lacking steam so we have to work on it but now that we have seen the problem we can solve it. I think we are lucky to come out with a draw because we could have lost the game,” he said.
Teams
Bulawayo City: T Ndoro, Z Ngodzo, Z Sibanda, H Ncube, E Mudzingwa, T Tavengwa, I Kutsanzira, T January (C Rupiya, 74thh), R Pavari (T Ndlovu, 71stt), T Banda, I Wadi (N Ndlovu, 90thh)
Yadah: S Mafukidze, W Kalongonda (M Meleka, 66th), W Chakanyuka, A Makopa, J Chitereki, B Mapfumo, E Karembo, C Sekete (L Murape, 46th), M Chiwara (J Sibanda, 39th), M Musiyakuvi, R Matema
